Grading machine



June 6,y 1944. c. MAuRoNER Y GRADING mol-:INE

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June V6, 1944. c. MAURONER GRADING MACHINE Filed Sept. 21. 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 6, 1944 UNITED STATES ENT OFFICE GRADING MACHINE Curtis Mauroner, Braggs, Okla.

Application September 21, 1942, Serial No. 459,123

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a grading machine particularly adapted to the grading of strawberries, and it consists in the constructions, arrangements and combinations herein described and claimed.

It is the cardinal object of the invention to provide a grading machine in which a plurality of moving .belts and a transversely moving conveyor effect the grading and separation of berries, the belts being adjustable with respect to each other so as to effectively separate berries of Varying sizes.

It is also an object of the invention to provide u positive drive for the separator belts, effecting an even movement thereof, thus eliminating slippage and lessening damage to berries being graded.

It is a further object of the invention to PFO- vide a grading machine in which the berries tend to feed forwardly upon the grading belts under action of gravity.

Additional objects, advantages and features of Invention will be apparent from the following description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a top plan view of the grading machine.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional View thereof.

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

.Figure 4 is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross section through one of the pulleys for mounting and driving a grader belt.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the grader belts.

There is illustrated a grading machine ID consisting of a trough II having longitudinal side walls I2, end walls I3 and a bottom wall I4, suitably connected to form a rigid structure. The

trough is supported by rear legs I5, one at eachV side, and front legs I6, similarly positioned, but the latter legs are of lesser height so that the trough is inclined in a forward direction.

Adjacent the rear end of the trough a shaft Il is revolubly journalled and at the front end thereof a shaft I8 is journalled, having a drive .means such as a pulley, gear or the like, I9. Up-

on each of the shafts a plurality of pulleys 20 are mounted, being spaced at desired intervals, the pulleys on one shaft being aligned with pulleys on the other shaft and about such aligned pulleys an endless grading belt 2I is trained.

The pulleys .20 are of identical construction 'and as shown in Figure 3, embody a peripheral groove 22 substantially V-shaped as seen in cross section, in which equally spaced teeth 23 are formed complemental to lugs or teeth 24 formed upon the under side of the grader belts 2l, the under side of the belts also being V-shaped. By such construction the grader belts will be positively and evenly moved upon rotation of the shaft I8.

The pulleys 20 are held upon the shafts by means of a set screw 25 (see Fig. 5), and by loosening thereof the pulleys may be moved longitudinally along the shafts and again secured. It will be Seen that the spacing between the grader belts may be adjusted to accommodate berries of different sizes.

It is proposed to employ flexible grader belts and in order to prevent sagging of the upper reach thereof there is provided a support rail 26 having a longitudinally extended groove 2l so as to receive the belts therewithin. Of course, there will be a rail for each belt, and as here shown, the rails are supported at each end by respective brackets 2B supported upon transverse shafting 29 suitably mounted in the side walls of the chute.

The upper side of the grader belts are convex, as may be seen in Figure 6, and integrally formed therewith at spaced points are ribs 3D. These ribs are generally V-shaped, the apex 3| of which lie at a point medially of the longitudinal axis of the belt. From the apex, the ribs extend at a slight arcuate angle in a longitudinal direction with respect to the belts, and function to feed berries downwardly between respective paired belts for discharge, as will be described.

Each of the side walls I2 is formed with an opening 32 of a length stopping inwardly of the ends of the trough and the bottom wall I4 is also formed with an opening 33 of a width extending from one side wall to the other and of a length slightly greater than the openings 32 of the side Walls.

outwardly of the trough I I, at each side and at each end of the structure respective brackets 34 are mounted revolubly mounting respective rollers 35 and 36. The shaft of the roller 36 projects beyond the bracket and has xed thereto a pulley or other drive means 3l. As may be seen from Figure 1, the rollers 35 and 36 extend longitudinally of the trough and at right angles to the pulleys 20. An endlessconveyor belt 38 is trained about the rollers 35 and 36, and as shown in Figure 3, the rollers are so positioned that a reach of the conveyor belt 38 passes transversely through the plurality of grader belts 2|.

A hopper 39 is mounted upon the trough and arranged beneath the conveyor belt 38 so asY to receive berries therefrom. The berries may be discharged through an opening All into suitable receptacles not shown. The conveyor belt 38 travels in a direction as indicated by the arrow in Figure 3, and at the discharge end of the conveyor a swingable discharge chute 4| is pro--` vided. This chute may be adjusted so as to discharge berries exteriorly of the hopper 39 or adjusted as indicated in dotted lines to pass the berries into the hopper 39.

A lling chute 42 is mounted at the rear end of the chute having a discharge end closely above the grading belts 2| so that the berries do not have any great distance to fall before engaging the grader belts. At the front end of the trough a discharge chute 43 is provided and berries deposited thereon may be passed into any suitable receptacles, not shown.

In use, berries to be graded are deposited upon the chute 42 passing downwardly onto the grader belts 2|. The belts 2| being in motion traveling toward the 'forward end of the machine, the berries will be carried along by the belts. The pulleys 2|] and belts 2| were previously adjusted so that the most select berries would not pass between the belts and such berries Would therefore remain on the grader belts and be iinally discharged onto the chute 43 at the forward end of the trough. Those berries which passbetween the grader belts fall to the upper reach of the conveyor belt 38 and are carried along and discharged on the chute lil or into the hopper 39, depending upon the setting of the chute 4|.

The machine described will grade the berries into two separate grades and obviously, if further grading is required, each grade may be separately passed through a second machine in which the grading belts are adjusted for a further classifying of the berries.

While I have specically shown and described the machine in use for grading strawberries, it should be understood that grading of other products may also be accomplished, and the embodiment here shown is exemplary of a preferred form of the device.

I claim:

A grading machine comprising a frame Work including an inclined trough, a transverse shaft at each end of the trough, a plurality of pulleys mounted on each shaft and spaced apart, each pulley having a substantially V-shaped peripheral groove, a grader belt trained about aligned pulleys of the shafts, said grader belt having a major cross sectional contour complemental to the peripheral groove of the pulleys and a minor upper semi-circular contour, a support rail beneath the upper reach of each grader belt, means for rotating one of the shafts to eiect movement of the grader belts in unison and in parallel relation to each other, a discharge chute for receiving products from the grader belts, an endless conveyor means extending transversely beneath the upper reaches of the grader belts for receiving products passing between the grader belts, and said grader belts having a, plurality of longitudinally spaced ribs on the upper semicircular contour of the belts, said ribs being inclined downwardly upon respective sides of the belts in a direction opposite the line of travel of the belts.

CURTIS MAURONER. 

